


Untitled post-series happy ending ficlet

by veleda_k



Series: An unabashed happy ending [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 01:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2563592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veleda_k/pseuds/veleda_k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What Peter and Neal end up doing with themselves. It may not be quite normal, but it's right for them.</p>
<p>(Exactly what it says on the tin. Contains no references to the S5 cliffhanger, nor any S6 spoilers. Does contain other spoilers for the S5 finale.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Untitled post-series happy ending ficlet

Peter watched the numbers on the elevator crawl up. “You ready for this?” he asked Neal.

Neal grinned. “If you are.”

Even after these several months, it was still a relief to see Neal in the morning. For two years, their only communication had been postcards and the occasional email. It had hurt at first. Peter had missed Neal like a piece of himself. But it had gotten easier. He hadn't stopped missing Neal, but it was a feeling that came every once in a while and then passed.

And then Neal had come back. In some ways it was like he had never left. The banter, the ease, it was all still there. But Peter could feel the difference. Neal looked at him differently. Like a friend, certainly. But there was less intensity. He wasn't searching for Peter's approval like he once had. He wasn't waiting for Peter's disappointment. Neal had become more himself.

Peter didn't know if Neal had been committing crime in his time away. He had to remind himself it wasn't his place to ask. He wasn't Neal's handler anymore. It wasn't easy, redefining their roles. But somehow they had come out of it even stronger.

And then Neal had made the suggestion that changed Peter's life. “Our own consulting business?” Peter had repeated.

Neal had smiled. “Caffrey and Burke, solving crime. Just like old times.”

“Burke and Caffrey,” Peter had corrected automatically. 

The idea had been strange. Leave the FBI? But nothing had been the same since he turned down the section chief job. He had kept his true friends like Diana, Jones, and Bruce, but others had worked to distance themselves from him. His allies were harder to get a hold of and less likely to help him out. He had broken an unspoken rule, and he hadn't been allowed to forget it.

And he could never forget why'd he turned down the section chief job in the place. He'd always known about the bureaucracy. That was part of the job. But he had felt it in a new way. Sometimes, out of nowhere, he would wonder whose life he might be affecting, even ruining, with nothing but a signature. It was a heavy burden.

It was even harder without Elizabeth. They saw each other and spoke as often as they could, but it was never quite enough.

So, when Neal had made his suggestion, Peter had thought about it and agreed on the condition that they set up shop in Washington DC.

And now here they were, waiting as the elevator climbed to Burke and Caffrey Consulting. (“It's alphabetical,” Peter had said. “You can't argue with the alphabet.” Neal had agreed and smiled in that way that made Peter feel that he would be losing a larger battle somewhere down the line.)

Peter noticed something was wrong as soon as he stepped toward the office. A dim light was on, and there was no reason it should have been. He maneuvered himself protectively in front of Neal, before slowly walking forward. He carefully tested the door. It was unlocked. He longed for his service weapon. 

“Shouldn't we call the police?” Neal hissed. 

“Oh, for the first time in your life, you want to call the police,” Peter retorted. Maybe that would be a better idea. But Peter wasn't old, and he wasn't useless. And no one very terrifying was going to break into an office without any client or case files. He opened the door and could barely stop himself from yelling “freeze!”.

Mozzie looked up at him, a thick manilla file on his lap. “About time you two got here. The coffee's probably cold.”

Peter blinked. He looked at Neal, who appeared to be as surprised as he was. “Uh, Moz?” Neal ventured. “What are you doing here?”

Mozzie waved his coffee cup. Peter winced at the thought of staining the carpet their first day. “We are here at the heart of the conspiracy! The belly of the beast! This is where they keep all the answers! Wild horses couldn't keep me away!” he declared.

“What about a restraining order?” Peter muttered. 

Neal shot him a disapproving look that then morphed into a grin. “Come on, Peter,” he said. “Doesn't it already feel like home?”

Peter sighed, but he couldn't help but smile back. “I guess it does.”


End file.
